Canadian Industry Minister Mélanie Joly’s recent visit to China appears to have been fruitful, with discussions involving senior government officials and industry leaders helping pave the way for potential partnerships between Canadian firms and three of China’s largest automakers.
According to Automotive News, BYD, Chery, and Geely have all said they are willing to explore joint ventures here in Canada. How these joint ventures will operate and the exact details are still coming out. However, Canada is an attractive market, as Southern Ontario already has the manufacturing and tiered supply chain to support any potential automaker looking to enter North America.
What we do know is that if a joint venture were formed, it would need to be majority-owned by a Canadian company. It would also need to integrate with local supply chains, with a focus on made-in-Canada components, parts and manufacturing.
As rumours have started to swirl, the focus seems to be on General Motors’ CAMI plant, which has been sitting idle for several months. The plant was producing the BrightDrop electric commercial van and recently completed retrofits to handle EV production. A turnkey production facility like CAMI is rare and could be a potential option for a new joint venture as a central hub to build out a significant footprint quickly.
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